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Felt Edict Nine LTD

Felt Edict Nine LTD

The Felt Edict Nine LTD pedals well, comes with an impressive build kit, and is admirably lightweight. But the combination of awkward front-end geometry and a flexy front triangle hamper its capabilities on the trail

Josh Patterson/BikeRadar.com

Instead of the more complicated and heavier Equilink system of the longer-travel Virtue and Compulsion models, Felt instead fits the Edict Nine LTD with a simpler single-pivot setup called FAST. Each side is molded as one piece, and tuned flex in the stays accommodates changes in geometry as the suspension moves through its travel

James Huang/Future Publishing

Titanium hardware is used for all of the rear suspension pivot points

James Huang/Future Publishing

The Felt Edict Nine LTD uses a tapered 1 1/8in to 1 1/2in head tube, but we wish it were just a little bit shorter

James Huang/Future Publishing

The Fox Float CTD Adjust rear shock does an excellent job of absorbing trail chatter, thanks to its light compression tune, while still lending good pedaling manners

James Huang/Future Publishing

Cables are routed along the top of the down tube where they're protected from rocks kicked up by the front wheel

Felt's InsideOut technology uses both internal and external molds to provide more material compaction during the molding process, resulting in more consistent tube walls, more precise and complex internal shaping, and less weight

James Huang/Future Publishing

A carbon fiber plate bolted to the down tube keeps the chain from dropping to the inside

The down tube does without any add-on impact guard. The bottom bracket utilizes conventional thread-in cups

James Huang/Future Publishing

The high-end spec includes Reynolds carbon fiber rims that feel stiffer than aluminum hoops of comparable weight. We just wish some of that rim stiffness wasn't squandered with a low spoke count

James Huang/Future Publishing

The excellent Fox 32 Float 29 CTD Adjust is supple and precise

James Huang/Future Publishing

The stock Kenda 24Seven tires are wonderfully fast-rolling and offer surprisingly reasonable grip on hardpack. The rubber compound is very hard, though, making them borderline treacherous when things are wet and/or slippery

James Huang/Future Publishing

Felt could have saved a few grams by using the Race version of Shimano's XTR brake levers but we appreciated the greater adjustability of the Trail version included here

James Huang/Future Publishing

The stock carbon fiber handlebars are disappointingly narrow, at just 680mm on the small and medium-sized frames. And no, the bell isn't included but we strongly advocate using one

James Huang/Future Publishing

Cable routing is a curious mix of internal and external runs, zip-ties and through-holes. It works but isn't especially elegant

James Huang/Future Publishing

Getting the handlebars low enough on a medium-sized, full-suspension 29er is often a challenge, and the 20mm tall headset cone on our tester only worsened the issue. Felt says later production bikes include a two-piece cone that gives riders the option of a taller or lower setup

Considering the Felt Edict Nine LTD's sporting intentions, the Shimano XTR 2x10 drivetrain offered up all the gears we needed

James Huang/Future Publishing

The raised, molded plastic chain stay protector is very effective, but like the cable routing it's a visually inelegant solution

James Huang/Future Publishing

The Shimano XTR rear derailleur is unflappable in its ability to rattle off perfect shifts time and again, although we wished for the quieter-running, clutch-equipped Shadow Plus version when the trail got bumpy

James Huang/Future Publishing

The rims are tubeless-ready but Felt doesn't include the requisite valve stems. The rim tape isn't overlapped at the valve hole during assembly, either, meaning buyers will have to retape (with fresh tape) to get a reliably airtight seal

The Reynolds hubs look expensive with their glossy red anodized finish, and they're conveniently convertible to multiple axle fitments but the rear freehub body offers slow engagement speed. In our experience, reliability has also been less than stellar

James Huang/Future Publishing

The Felt Edict Nine LTD is a striking 100mm travel cross-country machine that drew nearly universal praise for its low-slung good looks

James Huang/Future Publishing

The Felt Edict Nine LTD pedals well, comes with an impressive build kit, and is admirably lightweight. But the combination of awkward front-end geometry and a flexy front triangle hamper its capabilities on the trail

Josh Patterson/BikeRadar.com

Instead of the more complicated and heavier Equilink system of the longer-travel Virtue and Compulsion models, Felt instead fits the Edict Nine LTD with a simpler single-pivot setup called FAST. Each side is molded as one piece, and tuned flex in the stays accommodates changes in geometry as the suspension moves through its travel

James Huang/Future Publishing

Titanium hardware is used for all of the rear suspension pivot points

James Huang/Future Publishing

The Felt Edict Nine LTD uses a tapered 1 1/8in to 1 1/2in head tube, but we wish it were just a little bit shorter

James Huang/Future Publishing

The Fox Float CTD Adjust rear shock does an excellent job of absorbing trail chatter, thanks to its light compression tune, while still lending good pedaling manners

James Huang/Future Publishing

Cables are routed along the top of the down tube where they're protected from rocks kicked up by the front wheel

Felt's InsideOut technology uses both internal and external molds to provide more material compaction during the molding process, resulting in more consistent tube walls, more precise and complex internal shaping, and less weight

James Huang/Future Publishing

A carbon fiber plate bolted to the down tube keeps the chain from dropping to the inside

The down tube does without any add-on impact guard. The bottom bracket utilizes conventional thread-in cups

James Huang/Future Publishing

The high-end spec includes Reynolds carbon fiber rims that feel stiffer than aluminum hoops of comparable weight. We just wish some of that rim stiffness wasn't squandered with a low spoke count

James Huang/Future Publishing

The excellent Fox 32 Float 29 CTD Adjust is supple and precise

James Huang/Future Publishing

The stock Kenda 24Seven tires are wonderfully fast-rolling and offer surprisingly reasonable grip on hardpack. The rubber compound is very hard, though, making them borderline treacherous when things are wet and/or slippery

James Huang/Future Publishing

Felt could have saved a few grams by using the Race version of Shimano's XTR brake levers but we appreciated the greater adjustability of the Trail version included here

James Huang/Future Publishing

The stock carbon fiber handlebars are disappointingly narrow, at just 680mm on the small and medium-sized frames. And no, the bell isn't included but we strongly advocate using one

James Huang/Future Publishing

Cable routing is a curious mix of internal and external runs, zip-ties and through-holes. It works but isn't especially elegant

James Huang/Future Publishing

Getting the handlebars low enough on a medium-sized, full-suspension 29er is often a challenge, and the 20mm tall headset cone on our tester only worsened the issue. Felt says later production bikes include a two-piece cone that gives riders the option of a taller or lower setup

Considering the Felt Edict Nine LTD's sporting intentions, the Shimano XTR 2x10 drivetrain offered up all the gears we needed

James Huang/Future Publishing

The raised, molded plastic chain stay protector is very effective, but like the cable routing it's a visually inelegant solution

James Huang/Future Publishing

The Shimano XTR rear derailleur is unflappable in its ability to rattle off perfect shifts time and again, although we wished for the quieter-running, clutch-equipped Shadow Plus version when the trail got bumpy

James Huang/Future Publishing

The rims are tubeless-ready but Felt doesn't include the requisite valve stems. The rim tape isn't overlapped at the valve hole during assembly, either, meaning buyers will have to retape (with fresh tape) to get a reliably airtight seal

The Reynolds hubs look expensive with their glossy red anodized finish, and they're conveniently convertible to multiple axle fitments but the rear freehub body offers slow engagement speed. In our experience, reliability has also been less than stellar

James Huang/Future Publishing

The Felt Edict Nine LTD is a striking 100mm travel cross-country machine that drew nearly universal praise for its low-slung good looks

James Huang/Future Publishing

Image 1 of 27

BikeRadar verdict

Snazzy looks but with old-school handling and a rather soft frame

Shopping Partners

Felt's Edict Nine LTD full-sus 29er certainly looks the part, with its curvaceous carbon fiber frame, menacing visage, and enticing parts spec that practically begs to be raced. Unfortunately, though, the appeal on paper doesn't translate out on the trail, where we found the outdated geometry and surprisingly soft frame to be a letdown on what we otherwise expected to be a cross-country rocketship.

While not as firm under power as some bikes with slightly higher pivot placements or multiple links, pedal-induced bob is still mostly minimal – especially with a light platform engaged. And the Edict Nine LTD scoots forward eagerly when you drop the hammer.

Add in the ultrafast-rolling Kenda 24Seven stock rubber and it's impressive just how light the bike feels underfoot. The same goes for how quickly you gain speed, whether on the flats or heading uphill.

As we noticed on the 26in wheeled version, the rear end of the Edict Nine LTD has a bit of a two-faced personality – thankfully, both of them are friendly. At low-to-moderate speeds, the built-in spring of the carbon fiber rear end (more on this later) lends a firm feel that contributes to its snappy feel under power.

Once the speeds climb and you hit things harder and faster, though, the bike suddenly seems to grow longer legs, with a more linear-feeling spring rate and a surprisingly smooth ride in the rough.

Unfortunately, things quickly go sideways – somewhat literally, in fact – in terms of handling. Geometry-wise, the Edict feels behind the curve, with its very steep, 71.5-degree head tube angle.

On the upside, this makes relatively easy work of tight uphill switchbacks – just turn the bars and pedal with little to no additional body input required. However, that steep head tube starts to feel awfully twitchy as the surroundings get increasingly blurry.

Felt stands by the steep front end, though, saying it's the result of feedback from its sponsored riders. "We chose our head angle from what we had learned on the applauded handling from the 29er hardtails," mountain bike engineer Nick Ducharme told BikeRadar.

"We looked at the trail numbers and kept them in the realm of the 26in-wheeled bikes. This keeps a light and easy-to-turn front end. Instead of running a slacker, sluggish head angle, we relied on the large diameter wheels and a lower BB height to give the bike its stability."

We wish the tapered head tube was just a little bit shorter

Compounding the issue is the front triangle, which we found disappointingly flexy despite its oversized carbon fiber construction. Both factors taken together, we had a consistently tough time holding our lines through even modestly bumpy terrain, where we constantly found ourselves readjusting mid-corner.

Piloting the Edict smoothly proved particularly challenging when there was good grip, as the front end would first tend to dive into the turn, load up, and then unexpectedly spring back – undoubtedly when there was a misplaced tree or rock nearby. Interestingly, hitting the brakes to avert imminent disaster only made the bike want to stand up straight, pushing it further toward the outside of the turn where we invariably didn't want to be.

Unfortunately, things don't get any easier when the trail gets slippery. The hard rubber compound that gives the Kenda 24Seven tires such fantastic straight-line speed also makes them seriously sketchy when the ground is even slightly damp. Felt's choice of a narrow 680mm handlebar (L and XL sizes get marginally wider 700mm bars) doesn't provide much leverage to correct things in a pinch, either.

Felt, however, insists the Edict Nine LTD is anything but noodly. "The frame actually tests very well compared to some big name competitors," Ducharme said. "We have purchased several competitors' bikes – most notably the Specialized Epic 29 and Santa Cruz Tallboy. We made sure we tested better than anyone else in frame stiffness."

Frame: Clean and effective suspension design

Felt skipped over its usual Equilink six-bar suspension on the Edict Nine LTD, opting instead for a lighter and simpler single-pivot arrangement called FAST (Felt Active Stay Technology) that omits conventional rear dropout pivots. Instead, the carbon fiber seat stays and chain stays are built with a tuned flex pattern to accommodate changes in geometry as the rear end moves through its travel.

The one-piece FAST rear end also helps explain the Edict's split personality on the trail. Felt molds the rear triangle for when it's in the sagged position – and if you remove the shock, that's exactly where it goes. At lower speeds, the added leaf spring effect lends a firmer and racier feel but it's largely canceled out in more demanding situations.

The tapered head tube (with internal headset cups to decrease the stack height) is sized for a 1 1/8in to 1 1/2in steerer, but the bottom bracket shell is threaded for standard cups – perhaps unusual these days but still arguably the best option in terms of bearing longevity and component flexibility.

A carbon fiber plate on the down tube keeps the chain from dropping to the inside

Add in a claimed 120g of titanium pivot hardware and a pair of forged aluminum links and the total actual frame weight is a respectable 2.44kg (5.38lb) for a medium size frame with rear shock, rear derailleur hanger, seatpost collar, and water bottle bolts.

Felt dresses the Edict Nine LTD frame in a serious-looking red, black, and white paint scheme that's perhaps a bit stereotypical in terms of the color choice but well done nonetheless. We got nearly universal praise from onlookers.

Unfortunately, the frame's clean lines are needlessly cluttered by the clumsy cable routing. The front derailleur is run internally, the full-length rear derailleur housing is fed through closed molded-in carbon fiber loops, and the rear brake hose is secured with zip-ties. It works, yes, but it's disappointingly inelegant on what's otherwise a good-looking bike.

Equipment: Superb XTR kit but the bars and rear hub have got to go

Try as we might, there's simply no faulting the XTR 2x10 drivetrain and hydraulic disc brakes that Felt has included on the Edict Nine LTD. As we've noted in the past, braking power, modulation, and lever feel are superb. Felt has also made the smart move of including a 180mm front rotor for more leverage, finned brake pads to help dissipate heat, and the Trail variant of the brake levers for their adjustable pad contact.

Likewise, shift performance is outstanding, with utterly dependable, fast, and smooth chain movement across the cassette and two-ring crankset – not surprising given that Felt has admirably chosen to adhere to an all-XTR drivetrain rather than sub in cheaper components, as is often the case.

Trail riders in especially mountainous terrain might miss the 22T bailout ring, but otherwise we never found ourselves lacking for gears. Shifts are so reliable up front, in fact, that it renders the Edict Nine LTD's built-in carbon fiber anti-drop plate wholly unnecessary.

The XTR hydraulic disc brakes mount to IS-style tabs out back

We also had no complaints about the Fox rear shock and fork. Though we're still a tad polarized on the simplified CTD user interface, ride quality on both the Float CTD Boost Valve w/ Trail Adjust rear shock and 32 Float 29 100 FIT CTD w/ Trail Adjust fork are superb, with excellent small-bump sensitivity, a very well-controlled mid-stroke, and fantastic bottom-out control. Thankfully, Fox hasn't messed with spring rate on these shorter-travel forks, either.

Rolling stock was a mixed bag, on the other hand. The Reynolds 29er carbon fiber rims are admirably lightweight, tubeless-compatible, and notably stiffer than comparable aluminum models. We even inadvertently bottomed out the rear tire and slammed the rim into sharp Colorado Front Range rocks on several occasions with no damage to show for it.

However, some of that rim stiffness is squandered by the meager 24-hole drilling and whisper-thin DT Swiss Revolution spokes. Buyers will have to reseal the rims (with fresh tape, no less) before converting to tubeless since the tape ends aren't overlapped at the factory. Valve stems aren't included, either.

More troubling during testing was the rear hub, which is not only slow to engage but began popping and pinging in the telltale signs of an imminent freehub body failure almost from day one.

Finishing kit was hit or miss, too. We found the stock Prologo Nago X10 saddle comfortable and supportive for long days on the trail but the no-name seatpost – while perfectly functional – seems a little cheap for a bike this expensive. We can forgive the house-brand forged aluminum stem, as it's actually quite sturdy, but the anemic, 680mm-wide carbon fiber handlebar is a glaring oversight.

Felt at least specs a flat bar to help keep the grip height low – a constant struggle for shorter riders on full-suspension 29ers. But, again, that advantage was wasted by a 20mm tall headset cone. Felt says later production models have rectified the issue with a two-piece cone that gives riders the option of a taller or shorter setup.

We really wanted to love the Edict Nine LTD – we even swapped out the bar and tires – but ultimately just couldn't come to terms with its quirky handling and flexy front end. It might be fast in a straight line but it doesn't inspire enough confidence to really take advantage of it when things get remotely tricky.

The Felt Edict Nine LTD is available as a frame kit in the UK, for £2,250.